Drag Race
by eponnia
Summary: Grease/high school AU. Mike is a junior recently accepted into the T-Birds led by Briggs. Paige, with her pencil skirt and pink jacket proudly proclaiming that she belongs in the Pink Ladies group, is the talk of the school. [Pike with mentions of Paulie. Drabble.]


Drag Race

SUMMARY: Grease/high school AU. Mike is a junior recently accepted into the T-Birds led by Briggs. Paige, with her pencil skirt and pink jacket proudly proclaiming that she belongs in the Pink Ladies group, is the talk of the school. [Pike with mentions of Paulie. Drabble.]

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I never thought I'd write a _Graceland_ fic based on a high school/_Grease_ AU, but I couldn't resist this prompt. Okay, I kind of lied. It wasn't really a prompt, but when I saw a gifset of Aaron Tveit as Mike on Tumblr wearing the black leather jacket in episode 11, all I could think of was Mike as a T-Bird from _Grease_. Someone reblogged my comment and said someone should write it. I decided to as the idea was fresh in my mind, and thusly, this fic was born.**

**This is my first published _Graceland_ fic, but I never thought it would be exactly like this. I normally do not like to de-age characters from any fandom. However, that's exactly what had to happen for _Drag Race_ to occur. I hope you enjoy!**

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Mike is a junior recently accepted into the T-Birds led by Briggs. The senior's first name is Paul, but no one dares call him by that name – except Charlie, of course. Charlie is the leader of the Pink Ladies who won both that title and the place as Briggs' girlfriend all by the start of her own senior year. But it is not Charlie who catches Mike's attention, even though she is a force to be reckoned with. Challenging or back talking her will guarantee you a black eye. No, it is Paige who he notices.

Paige, with her pencil skirt and pink jacket proudly proclaiming that she belongs in the Pink Ladies group, is the talk of the school. She is so different from Abby, Mike's current girlfriend, who wears poodle skirts and ribbons in her hair. No, Paige is different. Every guy on campus wants her in some way or another, but she is independent, going out with boys every Friday night but making few commitments.

The night of the school dance arrives, and Mike asks Abby. While they dance, he can't help but look for Paige, and spots her in a corner with her date. He realizes that she with the leader of the T-Bird's rival gang and almost goes over to tear them apart, but remembers that it's not his place. He does glance at them every so often, however, to make sure she's alright.

He does not talk to her at all that night, and they fall back into the rhythm of school. Lauren's attempt at beauty school bombs spectacularly, leaving her with pink hair, and she drops out. Briggs takes Mike out to "toughen him up" and they shoplift, getting away by the skin of their teeth. Abby breaks up with him.

Then the rival gang's leader challenges Briggs' to a drag race. Of course it is highly illegal but they don't care, and the T-Birds work for hours on perfecting his Greased Lightning car. The race finally arrives but when Johnny accidentally slams the door on Briggs, their leader turns the race over to Mike, who is positive DJ or even Johnny would be better than himself, but Briggs insists and Mike gets in the car.

It is Paige who drops the flag to start the race, and Mike feels anger rising in his chest as guys around him give her cat calls. But he has no time to dwell on the fact because she dropped the flag and he hit the gas.

The rival gang leader drives dirty, slamming his car into Mike's, but Mike is a better driver than anyone gives him credit for and wins the race. The rival gang leader crashes his car and Mike stops only to park over the finish line before getting out to pull the other teenager from his car. His rival is unhurt and shoves Mike away.

The T-Birds and Pink Ladies celebrate, his friends pounding him on the back and Charlie hugging him and kissing him full on the lips in congratulation, but Briggs for once doesn't seem to mind. Then Mike feels a slight hand on his shoulder and turns to see Paige standing there.

"Nice driving," she says in a voice that he can barely hear over his friends' cheering, and she reaches up to kiss him on the cheek, walking away without another word.

He is left staring at her while Johnny and DJ wolf whistle, Briggs clapping him on the shoulder. Suddenly he is running to catch up with her, his scuffed Converse pounding the pavement and his hair that gel could never slick back falling onto his forehead. She turns as he calls her name, and he comes to a stop beside her, adjusting his black T-Bird leather jacket as his friends tease him from afar.

"Paige, I, uh…" he trails off, running a hand through his hair. "Would you like to go to the, uh, movies with me? Tonight?"

"I'm free at eight," she says, meeting his gaze.

"Eight? Oh, yeah, eight sounds good," he says, trying to appear nonchalant about it but feeling like he wanted to climb to the school roof to announce to the world that he was going on a date with Paige Arkin.

"You don't need to act like that around me," she says with a smile and that penetrating gaze. "You're real, Mike, and that's why I agreed to go out with you."

"You really think that?" he replies, cursing the fact that the pitch of his voice had raised but decided to ignore it.

"I do. See you at eight," she says, giving him another smile and walking away.

"See you," he says, watching her go and feeling better than he had in a long time.


End file.
